Head Gardener, Rofford Manor

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, positive and driven Head Gardener to lead a small friendly team on a renowned private family estate, eight miles Southeast of Oxford.

The estate covers around 300 acres, including five acres of formal and informal gardens. The gardens have previously appeared in many garden magazines and other publications including Country Life, The Daily Telegraph and The Garden magazine. These beautifully established gardens were designed and laid out by the current owners over 40 years ago with the assistance of garden designer, Michael Balston. They include formal lawns and hedges, herbaceous borders, two lakes, various areas of woodland and a wildflower meadow. The grounds also include swimming pools, tennis courts, 3 glasshouses, a polytunnel and superb kitchen gardens; which provide seasonable fruit, vegetables and cut flowers for the main house.

The Role;

The Head Gardener will report to the Estate Manager and will lead a team of up to four gardeners. The successful candidate will ensure that the gardens are consistently maintained to exceptional levels. They should have demonstrable skills in all areas of gardening and be comfortable with the responsibilities that are associated with the role of Head Gardener. They should also be able to work independently whilst ensuring all necessary plans and projects are completed on time and within budget.

Key responsibilities include;

·        Supporting the Estate Manager with overseeing all main aspects associated with the management and organisation of the estate’s extensive gardens and grounds

·        High quality maintenance of all borders and other planting

·        Formulating and executing well-organised plans for successful pest control, irrigation, fertiliser application

·        Pruning and the propagation of fruit, vegetables and cut flowers to provide a continuous supply to the main house and other dependant properties

·        Maintenance and continued evolution of the lawns, hedges, climbing plants, ponds and all the other typical aspects of a large private garden

The ideal candidate;

The Head Gardener will have proven experience of working in a large garden at a similar level and/or relevant horticultural qualifications. You will have impeccable time-management skills, with an eye for detail.  You will be a strong communicator and a solid team worker, with excellent delegation skills; allowing for the efficient management and motivation of existing and new staff and contractors, whilst maintaining a friendly, positive working environment. This is a hands-on role that requires a high-level of mobility, physical activity, manual handling and operating machinery. A positive attitude, with a natural intuition and a passion for gardening is essential for this role, along with a sound plant knowledge, and understanding of seasonality.

You will also possess;

·        A high-level of written English, strong IT literacy

·        Previous garden management experience within a similar role/sized estate

·        A sound knowledge of current Health & Safety in relation to this position

·        Recent experience in the use of machinery including chainsaws, tractors etc is essential.

·        A valid clean, Full, UK driving license

Working hours;

This is a full-time role (40 hours per week) Monday to Friday, with usual working hours of 8am to 4.30pm (including breaks) which may vary seasonally or depending on weather conditions. There is also expected flexibility of occasional weekend watering etc.

Head Gardener benefits;

A competitive salary of up to £40,000 per annum
50% discount on food within our restaurants following successful completion of a 6 month  probation period
Membership to our Employee Assistance Programme with Hospitality Action
Pension scheme
28 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays per annum

Interviews will take place at Rofford Manor as part of the recruitment process.

Eligibility to work within the UK must be proven and two references should be available on request.

This private advert is being managed directly by the employer. English Country Gardeners are not involved in the hiring process and are therefore unable to share any additional information on this role. If you have any questions regarding this position, the best course of action is to apply for the job which will open a line of communication with the employer.

If you would like to view more information on the Professional Gardeners Guild, please click here and the Royal Horticultural Society, please click here

For more gardener roles please click here

Tagged as: full time, head gardener